title: Perivascular nitric oxide delivery to saphenous vein grafts prevents graft stenosis after coronary artery bypass grafting: a novel sheep model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Graft stenosis is a major complication of coronary artery bypass grafting with autologous saphenous vein grafts. Nitric oxide (NO) is believed to prevent this phenomenon. We studied the effect of perivascular application of an NO donor on the degree of stenosis of such grafts in an ovine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty white Iranian ewes were randomized to coronary artery bypass grafting using autologous saphenous vein grafts with application of an elastomer gel containing diethylenetriamine NO adduct in 0.9% sodium chloride solution around the grafted vessel (intervention group) or with the gel containing the saline solution alone (controls). Graft vessels were studied after 1 year using spot angiography and histological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean degree of stenosis was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the controls as found by histology (92.3 ± 5.5 vs. 80.9 ± 8.3%; p = 0.004). Although the difference in the angiographic score was not significant, the mean score was still lower in the intervention group (9.5 ± 11.3 vs. 12.0 ± 11.8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perivascular application of an NO donor was, at least histologically, effective in reducing graft stenosis in our ovine model. This can be a step toward the development of drug-eluting coronary artery bypass grafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. kyomarsabbasi @ yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kyomars
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.forename: Keivan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shalileh
authors.forename: Maryam Sotudeh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Anvari
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.forename: Abolfazl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahdanian
authors.forename: Seyed Hosein
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: Naghmeh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moshtaghi
authors.forename: Namvar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Movahedi
authors.forename: Abbasali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karimi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D045462:Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011897:Random Allocation; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D012756:Sheep; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D045462:Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide